{"title":"Rioja 3.20.25","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"e16","title":"Remelluri Reserva Rioja","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"750 ml","offer_id":44372037730537,"sku":"","price":44.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5 L","offer_id":44372037763305,"sku":"","price":159.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_16a530fa-b8cc-4dfd-b57a-04302ed90c80.png?v=1631718438"},{"product_id":"bhilar-phinca-abejera","title":"Bhilar Phinca Abejera Elvillar","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44547234726121,"sku":"430006","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_e040c32b-9728-4b21-9a0a-de80f9091056.png?v=1643052429"},{"product_id":"2018-yjar-rioja","title":"Yjar Rioja 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eCritical acclaim 2019 vintage:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e99 Points, James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com: \"A more fragrant Yjar this year, more peppery and lifted. Chalk, pepper and mezcal-like herbs with hints of cedar and cocoa powder to the blueberries. Super refined tannins tread carefully on the medium- to full-bodied palate with great juiciness and a long, polished finish. An intrinsic expression. Already delicious now, but will hold, too.\" 06\/23\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e98 Points, Georgia Hindle, Decanter: \"The third vintage by oenologist-winemakers Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza, the 3.8-hectare, single-vineyard cuvée from the limestone foothills of the Sierra de Toloño in Rioja Alavesa is made from a massal selection of Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Granegro and Rojal. A lovely bright pink-red colour in the glass. Supple and succulent, smooth and round, such a lifeforce on show, a step up slightly from last year - clearly so energetic, forward and sleek. This is defined and powerful no doubt, this is packing a punch in terms of intensity this year, focussed and spiced, the heat and oak come through strongly, but it manages to stay the right side of too much, giving direction and force with lashings of cooling minerality, dried herbs and floral touches. A great wine, joyous, bright, enveloping and high toned. It pulls the palate from black and red fruits to toasted spice, cinnamon, vanilla, blackcurrants and kirsch. Complex and compelling, Yjar always leaves a smile on my face wanting to try another glass and this is no exception.\" 07\/23\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44071566311657,"sku":"","price":129.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/Yjar.jpg?v=1670256951"},{"product_id":"artuke-rioja-paso-las-manas","title":"Artuke Rioja Paso Las Manas 2021","description":"","brand":"Misa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45108006125801,"sku":"20639737998225","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/image_a620ed55-818d-4aba-b383-5f39609e743b.png?v=1689620005"},{"product_id":"miguel-merino-vinas-jovenes-2020","title":"Miguel Merino Vinas Jovenes","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThere are some wineries, when you visit them and meet the people behind the wine, that really touch the heart. People who pour their hearts and dreams into the artistic expression of making hand-crafted, soulful, life-enhancing wine. Miguel Merino is one such winery. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eMany years ago, Miguel Merino got very, very lucky. In 1966 he managed to score a trip to not only the U.S., but to California. And not only to California, but to Napa. Imagine - a young boy from Portugal, which was still in the grips of a tyrannical, extreme isolationist dictatorship - comes to Napa where the wine, sex, drugs, and rock and roll was free-flowing in a devil-may-care, Robert Mondavi, show-the-world-what-we-can-do kind of way. As Miguel told me, “my mind was blown.” And he fell in love with wine along the way. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eComing back home, he worked hard to pursue a career in wine. Back then, because of the dictatorship, there was not much hope of creating something new. Manufacturing, including wine production, was done only at the behest of glorifying Portugal, i.e., Franco. But, through hard work, he managed to become the Director of Exports for Portugal in the early 1970s. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eFrom my understanding, he stayed in that position for many years, eventually building up enough cash so that when he retired, he could purchase a very specific vineyard that he had selected to create a small winery where he could make \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ehis\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e wine. That was back in 1994, and it still astonishes me to think of Miguel pursuing his dream for some 20 years before seeing it become a reality. In 2017, Miguel’s son, Miguel Jr. and his wife, Erika, joined and completed the winery team, in its entirety, as it is today. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNow onto today’s wine, the Vinas Jovenes:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eI must admit, I wish it was named something other than “young vines.” First, the vines are now over 20 years old, which for most producers in Rioja means that they are in standard production. Second, the wine could technically be called a Crianza, which sounds better for commercial reasons but also isn’t the style the family is pursuing. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAll that aside, this wine is seductively breathtaking. The bouquet is extremely pure and incredibly complex - dark plum mixed with over ripe strawberry, a suggestion of violets, and just a whisper of licorice and anise. The palate is warm and giving in the middle, with a soft roundness that rolls around on the tongue, yet it also has energy that sparks you to drink the next glass. The finish of my tasting note? “This is quite superb.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“Why is this wine so good?” I asked. Firstly, says Miguel Jr., it’s because his dad started a very specific, very selective vineyard program. He only purchased vineyards where he could exactly match soil, aspect and microclimate to the vine. This program is paying off now, but for Miguel Jr. the enterprise is also about the future generations - creating long-lasting vineyards that are perfectly matched to their environment. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHe also noted that while this wine is the “cheapest” wine they make, it is also their most important - it is their way of introducing people to their family enterprise, and as such, it is the one they focus the most on, watching it and raising it every year to be magnificent. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eI think there is one final point to emphasize - there is a lot of Rioja in this world. Rioja is big, many producers within Rioja are absolutely mega-huge and have been making wine a long time. And there is nothing wrong with those producers, I love many of them. But Miguel Merino isn’t one of them. They tend their very small specific vineyards themselves. The 25 or so barrels of wine they make per year are only touched by them. This is truly a labor of love, and that shows through in this wine. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Misa","offers":[{"title":"750 ml","offer_id":45633423671529,"sku":"20840372717229","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5 L","offer_id":45633423704297,"sku":"","price":44.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/MiguelMerinoVinasJovenes.jpg?v=1695652829"},{"product_id":"miguel-merino-reserva-2017","title":"Miguel Merino Reserva 2019","description":"","brand":"Misa","offers":[{"title":"750 ml","offer_id":45633438056681,"sku":"","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5 L","offer_id":45633438154985,"sku":"68437002131014","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-8929.png?v=1715204745"},{"product_id":"miguel-merino-la-loma","title":"Miguel Merino La Loma 2020","description":"","brand":"Misa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47212292210921,"sku":"20840372702744","price":74.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-8915.png?v=1715203097"},{"product_id":"bhilar-eterea-kripan-sasikume","title":"Bhilar Eterea Kripan Sasikume","description":"\u003cp\u003eBodegas Bhilar Bastardo “Sasikume” Rioja comes in lithe and quietly feral, a wine that feels more like a walk at the edge of a vineyard than a sit-down tasting. The nose leans wild and living—crushed bramble, sour cherry skin, damp clay, and a faint whiff of cider apple and cellar air. On the palate it’s light-footed and nervy, redcurrant and tart plum carried on juicy acidity, with a gentle prickle of volatility and a whisper of stemmy bitterness that feels intentional rather than rustic. Tannins are barely there, more like a soft grip of grape skin, and the finish trails off with herbal sap, wet stone, and that unmistakable natural-wine sense of motion and life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47733418918121,"sku":"430015","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-2498.png?v=1768941611"},{"product_id":"miguel-merino-reserva-2017-copy","title":"Miguel Merino Gran Reserva 2019","description":"","brand":"Misa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48150158967017,"sku":"20840372717274","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/495CD7BE-9714-437F-9621-EDD90232A5CF.png?v=1762281668"},{"product_id":"miguel-merino-la-quinta-cruz","title":"Miguel Merino La Quinta Cruz","description":"","brand":"Misa","offers":[{"title":"750 ml","offer_id":48150161162473,"sku":"20840372702737","price":47.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/waterfordwine.com\/collections\/rioja-3-20-25.oembed?page=2","provider":"Waterford Wine and Spirits","version":"1.0","type":"link"}